BBB hosting free shredding event

NORTH AKRON — The Better Business Bureau (BBB), in partnership with NeoShred, will host its semi-annual Secure Your ID Day April 20 at 895 E. Tallmadge Ave.

Residents and small businesses in Akron and surrounding areas are encouraged to bring any documents containing personal information to be shredded at no cost to them.

“Documents like pre-approved credit card offers, bank account statements, old tax returns and such should be shredded and not thrown in the trash,” said Christy Page, president and CEO of the BBB serving Ashland, Medina, Portage, Richland, Summit and Wayne Counties. “Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes, and it can destroy your good name and your credit. This is a great opportunity to securely dispose of any documents containing personal information, which is the first step consumers should take to protect their identity.”

Consumers can bring up to 10 bags or boxes of documents containing personal information, which will be securely shredded on-site. Arrangements can be made with NeoShred if you are going to exceed the limit. BBB also will provide tips and resources on how to protect your identity, online and off.

The BBB recommends the following to protect your identity:

Retrieve mail quickly from your mailbox and request that the post office hold the mail if you will be out of town.

The new tower will be built on Locust Street, and the plans call for a permanent closing of Locust Street between Exchange Street and Buchtel Avenue.

Akron Children’s Emergency Department, which fronts Locust Street, will remain open at all times during the construction. The hospital offers a free valet parking service for emergency patients.

Visitors should disregard their GPS instructions once they near Akron Children’s and pay attention to street signs, according to city of Akron officials. Street signs directing patients to the Emergency Department will feature large red directional arrows and will say “Emergency.”

Signs with black arrows will direct people to the hospital’s Bowery and Locust Street parking decks and the hospital’s main entrance. Patients and visitors to the Locust Professional Building will still be able to access the Locust Street Parking Deck from Locust Street by way of West State Street.

With increased traffic on Bowery Street and other surrounding streets, patients, staff and visitors are encouraged to use the walkways connecting the hospital and its professional buildings rather than attempting to cross the streets.

Citizens can turn in unwanted, expired prescription drugs at event

DOWNTOWN AKRON — On April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Summit County Community Partnership and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public the opportunity to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring medications for disposal to METRO Regional Transit Authority Center-Visitor’s Parking Lot, 631 S. Broadway St. The service is free and anonymous.

Last September, Americans turned in 244 tons of prescription drugs at more than 5,200 sites operated by the DEA and its state and local law enforcement partners, according to organizers. The METRO Regional Transit Authority Center site collected 102 pounds of pills, which ranked 17th out of the 88 sites in Northeast Ohio. Collections from all 88 sites were taken by the DEA to a central location, where they were disposed of in an environmentally safe way, according to organizers.

Organizers say that this initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue, as studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — both pose potential safety and health hazards, according to organizers.

For more information, call 330-374-0947 or 330-322-5007.

ODNR says watch for wildlife as weather warms

OHIO — As the spring brings the next generation of wildlife, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) advises residents to enjoy Ohio’s wildlife from a distance.

This advice extends to young or presumed abandoned wildlife. Young animals are usually not abandoned, and the parents will retrieve them, especially when left alone by humans, according to ODNR officials, who added that a wild animal, even when young, is capable of biting, scratching and transmitting diseases and parasites to humans and pets.

Many wild animals are raised by only one adult and are not tended to during daylight hours, according to ODNR officials, who say to not capture and attempt to care for animals. State and federal laws protect and regulate wildlife and endangered species in Ohio. Only persons known as rehabilitators, under special permits issued by the ODNR Division of Wildlife, may possess and care for native wild animals.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife and Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (OWRA) offers the following advice to reduce human interference with wildlife:

Think before you act. Check for nests before mowing, cutting trees or clearing brush. It is best to cut trees and clear brush in the autumn when nesting season is over.

Leave the animal in the wild. If a person disturbs a nest, he or she should wear gloves and replace the animal and the nest material to the original location or as close as possible. It’s a myth that wildlife parents will not tend to their young because of human scent, according to ODNR officials. Wildlife parents are devoted parents, and most birds don’t even have a sense of smell, according to ODNR officials.

Keep pets under control so they do not raid nests and injure wild animals. Keep pets inoculated against parasites and diseases.

Educate children to respect wildlife and their habitat. Tell children not to handle wild animals.

Contact the local wildlife official or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before taking action. Call 800-945-3543 or visit www.owra.org to learn more.

Women’s Endowment Fund celebrates Mother’s Day by honoring special women

AKRON — The Women’s Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation (ACF) is offering community members the chance to give a Mother’s Day gift that will benefit women across the Greater Akron area.

During April, donors can make tribute or memorial gifts in honor of the special women who have impacted their lives. In turn, those women will receive a Mother’s Day card designed specifically for the Women’s Endowment Fund by King Elementary School art teacher Brianna Hayes with students Phoebe Smucker and Brianna Johnson. The card will inform the honoree that a gift was made in her name, though the amount will not be disclosed.

Donations will ultimately support the Women’s Endowment Fund’s grant-making, which to date nears $600,000. Recently, the fund awarded $95,000 to programs that improve women’s economic empowerment, safety, and health and wellness.

“The Mother’s Day campaign is a great opportunity for individuals to honor a loved one with a beautifully decorated card while also supporting causes that uplift women and girls,” said Tracy Carter, president of the Women’s Endowment Fund.

Last year’s Mother’s Day campaign raised more than $7,000 for the Women’s Endowment Fund. To participate, call Akron Community Foundation at 330-376-8522. Gifts must be made by April 30 to ensure honorees receive their cards by Mother’s Day.